Friday, January 28, 2011

What could be more romantic on one's honeymoon than to take a private boat ride through majestic limestone karsts?(PICTURE: This is more romantic than a gondola ride in Venice.)

Well the answer is that the only thing more romantic could be to do it with all your friends and family:(PICTURE: Showing off our rings...and the four boats of wedding guests. There was another boat behind us too.)

On the morning after our wedding, we took everyone to Trang An in Ninh Binh. We had been to Tam Coc which is nearby and called the "Inland Halong Bay." Before planning the trip, I asked some of my students from Ninh Binh which was the better place to go to. It was unanimous, that Trang An was better. Now having been to both, I can agree. Here's the cooler aspects of Trang An:

1. Nobody was there except us. I'm sure this isn't always the case but it was on this day.2. There were six caves that we went through. Some were very long and narrow. At Tam Coc there's only three caves which aren't nearly as cool.3. At Trang An you go in a big circle versus in Tam Coc where you have to go back the exact way you came...which makes going back quite boring.

Here are some pictures from that morning:(PICTURE: Our captain. That's Sebastian, JR and Urszula behind us.)

(PICTURE: My father and the Lichtmans wondering what that strange smell is.)